Climate Science Degree
The Climate Science program integrates basic and applied principles of meteorology, climatology with environmental physics, which are concerned with how natural laws determine the climate. Physical oceanography and land surface physics are also part of climate science because the Earth’s climate variability is strongly coupled to the oceans and land surface. In addition, interactions between land ecosystems, water and climate are studied. This includes understanding and measurements of the atmosphere, soil, water and plants, and how the data are used to address practical issues related to climate change.
The Climate Science Degree (CSD) is hosted in the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate at Utah State University. Climate change is the most important environmental and hazard issues of our time. The purpose of CSD is to train the next generation of global leaders in climate and climate change sciences. CSD is focused on understanding the nature and change of our climate system by applying the principles of mathematics and physics.
This undergraduate degree program emphasizes the scientific study of the behavior of weather and climate, and applications to the important practical problems of climate prediction. CSD is unique in that it incorporates fundamental knowledge of physical climate with the emergence of a new and more complete approach, encompassing all components of the climate system—atmosphere, water, and land surface—to gain a comprehensive understanding of climate change as we face it.
Why does climate change matter for employment ?
Climate change and environmental degradation pose significant challenges to economic growth and employment today, and risks will be greater in the medium-to long-term. By contrast, if properly managed, climate change action can lead to more and better jobs.
Both adaptation to climate change and measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions offer opportunities to create new jobs, while securing existing ones. A transition to a low-carbon, greener economy will imply the creation of new jobs in environmentally friendly production processes and outputs, whereas other jobs will be at risk, in particular in those sectors with fewer options for a transition towards a more sustainable ways of production.